Geotechnical Drilling Mango

Mango property owners and developers can use geotechnical drilling services as an essential technique for evaluating the suitability, integrity and composition of a building site, while owners of an existing structure can evaluate the ground for the presence of problematic ground structure, such as underground voids that could collapse into a potentially deadly sinkhole.

Geotechnical drilling has a few different uses. This drilling method uses a hollow tube to extract a vertical column of earth, with the various layers intact. This core is removed from the ground and sent out for analysis. Based on the results, developers and engineers can determine if the site can support a new structure or if the area may be prone to ground shifting or even collapse from a sinkhole.

What Process is Used When Performing Geotechnical Drilling?

Mango area geotechnical drilling firms utilize portable drilling rigs, which are transported to the site in question. The cost and timeframe of a geotechnical drilling project will depend upon factors such as:

• the number of core samples or drilling sites that are required;
• the size of the site that’s being evaluated; and
• the density of the earth at the site.

Once core samples are extracted by the geotechnical drilling technicians, they are usually sent out for analysis and evaluation. This process is used to determine the density of the stone layers and soil/sand layers, the overall moisture content, the strength and integrity of bedrock and the composition, thickness and depth of the ground layers.

Geotechnical drilling is also effective at revealing the location of possible sinkholes. In areas with limestone bedrock, the limestone is prone to dissolving when it comes into contact with the mild acids that are found in groundwater.

In cases where geotechnical drilling does reveal a void underground, the geotechnical drilling team can use strategic drilling techniques to locate the approximate location of the void. Drills are used to penetrate into the cavity. Then, sinkhole remediation experts can pump it full of cement to prevent a collapse. If a structure is located atop a possible sinkhole site with unstable ground, metal poles may be drilled into the bedrock as anchors. (The geotechnical drilling team can determine the depth of the bedrock and whether it’s of sufficient quality and density.) The other end of each metal pole is attached to the structure’s foundation, serving as a support.

*Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Amdrill Inc*